


Through the Years

by tonks42



Series: Something Unpredictable [3]
Category: Glee
Genre: Drabbles, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-31
Updated: 2015-03-31
Packaged: 2018-03-20 14:22:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 5,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3653643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tonks42/pseuds/tonks42
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of shorts showing Blaine and Kurt's family as they grow together through the years.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Vacation

**Author's Note:**

> These stories were originally written for the Klaine Advent Challenge 2014.

**Is it wrong that I did a little dance when school got out today?**

Kurt laughed as he saw the text on his phone. He’d never really realized before he started dating a teacher that they enjoyed school vacations at least as much as the students. _Only if you let your students see you._

Blaine’s response was quick. **Maybe we did the dance together.**

_Then I hope you videotaped that._ Kurt set his phone down as as Tina walked in. “Ready to try on some clothes? We’re looking at several options for scenes after Christmas.”

—

By the time the fitting with Tina was done, Kurt’s cell phone had a whole string of messages.

**No video. Sorry.**

**But maybe I’ll make a ‘Yay for Winter Break!’ dance video with Julian.**

**I’m on my way to pick him up from daycare.**

**Or I could just do a special kind of dance for you later.**

Kurt grinned and simply texted back, _Can’t wait._


	2. Year

“I can’t believe that it’s already been a year.” Blaine sank down onto the carpet of the living room floor next to Julian.

“Has it been?” Kurt was settled into the recliner, legs tucked up underneath him and a book in hand. “Exactly?”

“Exactly. God, I was in so far over my head.” Blaine grabbed Julian, getting a giggle from the toddler as he swooped him up into the air.

“And now you’re a master?” Kurt asked with amusement, sneaking his phone out of his pocket to snap a quick picture.

“Oh, Lord no.” Blaine shook his head as he pulled Julian in to give him a quick squeeze. “I don’t think parenting is a thing that anyone is able to say they’re a master at. But now I’m only in over my head about fifty percent of the time. It’s progress.”


	3. Evening

“Evening, Blaine! A little late for you today. Where’s your little cutie?”

Blaine smiled across the counter at the barista. Finding this independent coffee shop only blocks from his home had been perfect. The kind of perfect that probably ate a little too much of his spending money with cups of wonderful coffee, especially since it was conveniently located on his way to or from the park. “At home, with Kurt. I’ve been given orders to go enjoy an evening all to myself.”

“That sounds nice.” The barista didn’t even ask what he wanted. She just rung him up on the register, taking the cash that was handed to her without needing to check the amount owed. “Do you have any huge plans for it?”

Blaine shook his head as he took his change. “I don’t think I’ve had an evening totally on my own in almost a year.”

“Seriously?” The barista shook her head, moving to pour Blaine’s house-roasted coffee, leaving room for cream. “Remind me to wait awhile before I have kids.”

Blaine laughed as he took his coffee with a quick word of thanks. As he added cream and sugar, he considered his evening. Reading on the patio sounded like a good start. It was so nice to have a few hours with no plans other than to relax and no one to watch over, time all to himself. He’d had evenings without Julian, but those had been filled with dates with Kurt or family nights at school or choir practice. He was going to savor this night.

——————————————

“How was your evening?” Kurt asked, poking his head out from the kitchen as Blaine walked in the front door. “Did you miss us?”

“Would it be horrible if I said no?” Blaine teased, toeing his shoes off. “I was only gone a few hours. A few glorious hours.”

Kurt laughed as he walked into the living room, drying his hands on a dish towel. “So it was a nice night?”

“It was. Thank you for kicking me out,” Blaine said. “I didn’t realize how much I needed a little me time.”

“Then I’ll make sure to do it more often. We can trade.” Kurt gave Blaine an appraising look. “You had your me time. How about finishing the night with a little us time?”

“Is that supposed to be a euphemism?” Blaine asked with a laugh, reaching out to grab the dish towel and pull Kurt closer. “Because I think I could become quite fond of that one.”


	4. Wedding

“We need to make a decision about a venue soon,” Kurt said as he walked into the bedroom.

“Julian’s officially down for the night?” Blaine waited for Kurt’s nod before he got back to the topic at hand. “Venue. Hmm… Would you have any good garden venues in mind? I really don’t want to get married in a banquet hall.”

Kurt stepped into the adjoining bathroom, leaving the door open so they could talk as he scrubbed his face clean and moisturized. “No banquet halls. I’ll agree to that. I thought you’d be pushing for your church honestly.”

“I-” Blaine considered that, pushing his pillow up against the headboard to sit propped up in bed. “Honestly? That would be my first choice, but I didn’t think that would be something you’re comfortable with. My second choice would be to get married outside. In a garden or on the beach.”

Kurt stuck his head around the door frame as he rubbed cream into his cheeks. “I would fry to a crisp on the beach. Don’t you remember those trips we’ve made to the ocean? All the layers of sunscreen?” He ducked back into the bathroom as he continued to talk. “I don’t really think that I’d be comfortable getting married in a church. I like your church. The people are great, but I don’t believe in God. Standing up in front of the alter to get married would be odd.”

“I want to get married to you more than I want to get married in a church. But would you be willing to consider outside venues that aren’t the beach?” Blaine asked.

“We can look at some at least.” Kurt made his way over to his dresser to grab out a clean pair of pajamas. “I actually found a website for one that I wanted to show you. It’s a whole botanical garden, and they do weddings in different parts of it. There’s a rose garden that’s gorgeous and would be very romantic.” Kurt turned, shirt off to look over a Blaine. “Wait. Are you even listening anymore?”

Blaine blinked, a blush creeping up his cheeks. “Sorry. You were taking your clothes off in front of me. You can’t blame me for getting distracted.”


	5. Clouds

Blaine pushed open the sliding glass door, stepping out onto the patio of their small backyard space. Setting his coffee cup down on a side table, he stepped up behind Kurt, wrapping his arms about his fiance’s waist. He shifted onto his toes to rest his chin on Kurt’s shoulder. “What’re you looking at?”

Kurt tilted his head to the side, resting it against Blaine’s for a moment before he looked up at the sky. “Clouds.”

“Are we deciding what creatures they look like?” Blaine asked, lifting his head to look up at the group of fluffy white clouds in an otherwise blue sky. “Bunny.”

“What?” Kurt turned, slipping out of Blaine’s arms to stare at him in confusion.

“Bunny. That’s what I think those clouds look like.” He looked back up to the sky again. “We’re not playing that game?”

“I’m not seven,” Kurt drawled. He shoved his hands down into the back pockets of his pants with a sigh. “Don’t the clouds worry you?”

“Why?” This time it was Blaine’s turn to reply with confusion. “Do you think the bunny clouds are going to come mistake you for a carrot?”

Kurt gave Blaine a look that said more clearly than words ever could that he’d been spending too much time in the company of children. “Our wedding? Tomorrow? What if it rains?”

Blaine raised his eyebrows with a grin, not at all phased by Kurt’s look. “Those aren’t storm clouds. Besides, we have a back up plan for rain, remember? You made sure of it.”

“Yes, but it’s still not as good.” Kurt shook his head. “Rain would ruin everything.”

“It’s not going to- It wouldn’t-” Blaine froze mid-sentence. “What is this really about? Are you getting cold feet about the wedding?”

Kurt reached out, grabbing Blaine’s hand. “No. I am absolutely not second guessing marrying you. I love you. I want you in my life forever. But what if it rains? Or the caterer serves raw food? Or the wedding cake collapses? Or, I don’t know. There are a million things that could go wrong.”

“And a million things that could go right.” Blaine gave Kurt’s hand a squeeze. “It’s going to be a wonderful day no matter what, because I get to stand up in front of everyone that matters to us and tell them that I love you and that I promise to spend my life with you taking everything that comes our way together, even when it’s bumpy and hard. That’s what’s going to make tomorrow wonderful. The cake is just extra.”

“But you know you want the cake,” Kurt pointed out.

“Of course I want the cake. Remember how good those tasting samples were? Divine.” Blaine grinned, giving the sky one last glance. “You know what? I think you need a distraction today. Something to occupy your mind other than worrying. We don’t pick your parents up from the airport until 3, and then it’s off to the rehearsal and dinner. Until then, why don’t we pack up Julian and do something fun as a family? We could go to the park or the beach?”

“The children’s museum,” Kurt suggested. “Less risk of a sunburn for the wedding. Us fair skinned people know better than to go to the beach before big events even with SPF 100.”

“Ooh! That’s perfect. They have a new fairy tale exhibit.” Blaine grabbed for his coffee cup with his free hand, tugging Kurt toward the patio door. “You can even check the weather before we go.”


	6. Ache

Kurt slumped down on the hotel room bed next to Blaine with a sigh. “Every part of my back aches. And my neck. And…”

“And you’re the one who thought it was a great idea to carry Julian on your shoulders up and down all those hills.” Blaine scooted up to sit against the headboard, patting the open space on the bedspread between his legs. “Sit here?”

“Why does the San Diego Zoo have that many hills in the first place?” Kurt whined as he sat up, moving to sit in front of his husband. “Besides, I can’t resist Julian begging me. His legs were tired, and apparently, there’s a better view on my back than yours.”

Blaine laughed, reaching up to start kneading at Kurt’s neck and shoulders. “Is that some kind of short joke?”

Kurt let out a low moan as Blaine got a sore knot to release. “Not if it means your going to stop that.”

“Good thing your parents have Julian at the pool, or they’d be wondering what we’re up to in here,” Blaine pointed out with a teasing grin.

“Why did we decide adjoining rooms were the way to go? Next time we’re asking for one on the entire opposite side of the hotel.” Kurt let his head fall forward, relaxing under Blaine’s touch. “Julian decides that he wants to sleep with Grandpa and Grandma, and we can’t even take advantage of having a hotel room all to ourselves.”

Blaine’s hands trailed from Kurt’s neck around to splay out across his stomach. “But you know how long Julian can drag out pool time for. Do you have another ache you need me to take care of?”


	7. Legacy

Christmas had never been more fun, as an adult at least, than with a three year old. Julian was finally old enough to really get into the holiday, and Blaine was enjoying participating in both the religious and secular aspects of the holiday right along side him. Ohio for Christmas was the tradition, and Julian had been loving the cover of snow on the ground, something so foreign to a child living in Los Angeles.

“Kurt never fails to surprise me,” Blaine commented as he saw Burt walk into the kitchen. “Just when I think there’s something he’d never enjoy, he jumps right into it with gusto.”

Burt moved to stand beside Blaine at the window, looking out to see Kurt helping Julian craft a snowman in the backyard. “Ah. He’s always had a love for snowmen. I think he sees them as frozen mannequins. When he was growing up, we always had the most fashionable snowmen on the block.”

Blaine laughed at the mental image that brought. “I’m sure you did. I can just imagine a tiny version of Kurt making totally sure that the snowman’s hat and scarf matched.”

“And now he gets to pass down that knowledge to a new generation,” Burt said with humor coloring his tone. “He told me last night that the two of you are working on him adopting Julian?”

“We are. A second parent adoption,” Blaine agreed. “Just to make it legal. Julian already sees Kurt as his father, but the judge can make that official. Just in case, God forbid, something happens to me, we don’t want there to be any question that Kurt keeps him.”

“You think Cooper would challenge it, if something did?” Burt asked curiously.

Blaine shook his head. “Not unless my father convinced him to. Cooper’s still really happy playing the uncle role, having Kurt and I raise Julian.”

“Your parents then?” Burt raised his eyebrows.

Blaine nodded. “And it’s not like my parents are horrible people. They really think that what they do is for the best, but, well, if anything happened, Julian would belong with his papa. And I can’t imagine Kurt and I ever getting divorced, but if we did? It would give Kurt rights there, too.” Blaine shoved his hands down into the pockets of the jeans as he stared out into the snow watching Kurt and Julian. “This is the side of his family that cares about Julian the way I do. It’s clear enough in our wills, that if need be, Julian would come to you and Carole or to Finn. The way I grew up, with parents so busy and distant, wasn’t horrible, but I want a different legacy for Julian.”

“And you’re giving him one. Look how happy he is. It’s clear he knows that he’s loved, and he listens as well as any three year old,” Burt pointed out.

Blaine laughed at that. “No major tantrums yet this trip, knock on wood. Maybe he’s saving it all for Christmas Eve with my family.”

“It would liven up the meal,” Burt joked. “Is Kurt going with you to-” His question was cut off by the ringing of a timer.

“Oh, sorry. Cookies are done,” Blaine said, moving to turn the timer off and pull a pan out of the oven. “I might start some hot chocolate to go with them for the snowbirds. You want some?”


	8. Midnight

“I’m glad we’re back home in LA in time for New Years Eve this year,” Blaine commented as he sank down into the recliner in their living room.

“Because we had such big plans for it?” Kurt asked dryly from his seat on the couch, a sleeping Julian draped halfway across his lap. “We are such party animals these days.”

Blaine rolled his eyes at that, gesturing instead to the TV. “Exactly. And do you know the best part about being home for New Years?”

Kurt shook his head. “Um, getting to sleep in our own bed?”

“Well that is a plus, but look,” Blaine gestured to the TV, “they’re getting ready to drop the ball. If we wake Julian up, he’ll never know that it’s not actually midnight.”

Kurt grinned as exactly what Blaine’s plan was sunk in. “We could get to bed at a reasonable hour? Or maybe celebrate the new year a bit more intimately? Done. Time zones are wonderful sometimes.” Kurt shook Julian’s shoulder gently, waking the boy up. “Hey, look Jules. It’s almost midnight. They’re getting ready to drop the ball. Do you have the sparkling cider ready, Blaine?”


	9. Uniform

“What in the world is this?” Kurt asked curiously as he stared at all the outfits covering their bed. “Isn’t this more my terrain?”

“Hah hah.” Blaine picked up a cardigan laying it across a plaid button down, taking a moment to consider them together. “I need to pick out an outfit for work.”

“Yes? And what is wrong with any of these ten or so? Do the ten year olds judge you that hard?” Kurt teased. “I like your usual uniform of button down, sweater vest or cardigan, and bowtie.”

“You would have at ten,” Blaine pointed out. “But it’s parent teacher conferences tomorrow. I need to look just right. Professional but stylish.”

“So, you’re having a fashion crisis, and you didn’t call me?” Kurt shook his head. “Tsk, tsk.” He grabbed a tweed sport coat from the bed. “Let’s start with this, and we’ll find you the perfect thing to impress those parents. They won’t know what hit them.”


	10. Dessert

“No fewer than three stories have been read, and Julian is officially tucked into bed,” Blaine said as he settled in beside Kurt on their living room couch. He leaned over to glance at his husband’s laptop. “What’re you looking at?”

“Pinterest. I’m trying to get ideas for what to bring for the Winter Holiday Party for Julian’s class. After Halloween, I have a reputation to maintain now.” Kurt shifted the laptop to rest between their laps so that Blaine could join in on the hunt.

“Those tiny caramel apple pops were pretty cute, even if that is completely lost on a group of Kindergarteners,” Blaine agreed.

“But it’s not lost on all the other parents. This is your school, too. Isn’t it important to make a good impression?” Kurt scrolled slowly down the screen. “Ooh, that sounds good. Mini eggnog cheesecakes.”

“Those sound very tasty, but I think you’re aiming for the wrong crowd there. Julian’s class is full of five year olds, remember?” Blaine pointed out before something caught his eye. “Lumps of coal. That’s hilarious.” He leaned in closer to peer at the image. “It looks like it’s just crushed up Oreos with melted marshmellow instead of Rice Krispies. Those would be easy to make.”

“But then we’d make the Kindergarteners cry. How would that be better?” Kurt asked dryly.

“Oh, not for Kindergarten. But my students are a few years older. They might think it’s funny,” Blaine pointed out.

“If you gave a bag just to Jonathan, I’m pretty sure the rest of the kids would make the connection,” Kurt drawled as he scrolled the screen down lower.

“True. Oh, that’s actually a good idea. Pretzels, Hershey Kisses, and M and M’s. Nothing a five year old wouldn’t like there,” Blaine offered, clicking on an entry on the touch screen to pull it up in more detail.

“It’s looks almost too simple. Melt the chocolate part way on a pretzel and push it down with an M and M? If the chocolate isn’t too hot, Julian could even help with that,” Kurt said slowly, planning it all out in his head.

“Then it’s decided. Julian and I’ll stop and get the ingredients on the way home from school tomorrow,” Blaine said.

“Is that just an excuse to be able to get the ingredients to make the coal, too?” Kurt accused with a laugh.

“Maybe…” Blaine put on his best innocent face for a moment before dissolving into laughter. “You know me too well.”


	11. Scarf

“Take these. You might get cold.” Blaine shoved a woolen scarf and gloves toward Julian.

“Dad! It’s like fifty degrees out. I’ll be fine.” Julian had the eyeroll that went with those words perfected. If he could do this now, Blaine couldn’t wait to see what middle school was going to be like.

“You’re going Black Friday shopping with your father. You never know how long you might be standing out in the cold.” Blaine draped the scarf around Julian’s neck. “At least take them in case you want them later.”

“Fine. I don’t get why I couldn’t go with him for the whole thing,” Julian grumbled, tugging on the end of the scarf.

“Maybe Santa sent him on some errands. Now, I want you to promise again that you’ll stay right with Papa. I don’t want you to get lost in the crowds. You have your present money?” Blaine asked.

“I will. I already promised.” Julian checked his pocket, pulling out a Spiderman wallet. “Right here. Oh! I hear the car!” Julian ran to the front window of the house, watching Kurt pull up into the driveway. “Wait. Why is Papa driving your car?”

“No idea. I’m sure the two of you will take Papa’s. No worries.” Blaine grabbed the keys to Kurt’s car from the dish in the entryway as they headed out the door into the early morning light.

Kurt climbed out of Blaine’s car, reaching back at the last minute for a coffee cup, a necessity for the time and the crowds. “You ready, Jules?”

“So ready!” Julian ran for Kurt’s car, climbing into the backseat as soon as Blaine clicked it unlocked.

Kurt laughed, leaning in close to Blaine as they exchanged keys. “You might want to clean out your trunk after we’re gone,” Kurt said softly before he added, loud enough for Julian to hear him through the closed door. “I promise that I won’t lose Jules. We’re going to have a great time. I know you’re super jealous.”

Blaine snorted out a laugh at that last bit. “You wouldn’t catch me dead out there today. Have fun. Stay safe.”


	12. Zigzag

“How does Santa do it?”

Blaine slid the container of cookies he’d made into a paper bag, buying himself time to think of possible answers before he turned around to watch Julian. The seven year old was sitting at the Hummel’s kitchen table, coat already on for the trip to his other grandparents in Columbus, with a tablet computer in hand. “Do what?” Maybe he could distract with questions.

“Go everywhere in the world today. I mean, he’s in Asia right now, but how did he get to Australia from there? And then what about Europe and Africa? Does he, like, zigzag back and forth?” Julian asked, without taking his eyes from the screen.

Blaine stepped closer to get a glimpse of what Julian was looking at, NORAD’s Santa Tracker website. “Magic.”

“Well of course. It is Santa.” The ‘duh, Dad’ was just dripping from Julian’s tone. “But what kind of magic?”

“Magic-ky magic?” Blaine tried, before he settled on distraction as a way to get away from having to make up answers about Santa. “Maybe you should see if Papa knows. You can ask him in the car. Have you used the bathroom?” Blaine waited for Julian’s distracted nod before he set the bag of cookies on the table. “Take these out to the car and get buckled in. I’ll grab your Papa, and we’ll be off. Christmas Eve dinner with Grandma and Grandpa Anderson and then church before we’re back here to wait for Santa to come.”

“Is Papa coming to church with us tonight?” Julian turned the tablet off and slipped it into the bag with the cookies.

“It’s Christmas Eve. Of course he is. You know how much he likes the music.” The music and how much easier it made the logistics of the night were the selling factors there.

“But we sing every Sunday, and he doesn’t come,” Julian pointed out, grabbing the bag.

“Yes, well, it’s Christmas, and, um, why don’t you get in the car before we’re late.” Blaine really had to work on improving his ability to distract, he decided. Maybe that would be his New Year’s Resolution. 


	13. Kindred

“Eggnog?”

“Spiked or un-spiked?” Blaine asked turning to grin over at Tina. “Is it really the good stuff?”

“Try it and see.” Tina offered out a festive red mug. “I’m glad that you all could come tonight.”

Blaine took a quick sip from the mug. “Well, this certainly didn’t come from the children’s table.”

Tina turned at the mention, her gaze falling on a low table where a myriad for kid’s craft supplies had been spread out. “It’s not covered in glitter for one thing.”

“You are brave woman, letting that amount of paint and glitter into your house,” Blaine commented. “The kids look like they’re having a great time, though.”

Tina shrugged it off. “I have a two year old. And a house cleaner. You’d better believe I booked a whole cleaning service for tomorrow after all of this.”

“Being on TV has it’s perks,” Blaine teased lightly.

“It does, and I plan to enjoy that particular one while I can.” Tina shook her head as she watched the expression on Julian’s face as a girl near his age said something to him that he clearly did not agree with. “You know, I frequently forget that Kurt and Julian share no actual DNA.”

Blaine caught the last of that look and broke out laughing. “Nurture is a strong force, and I swear that they are kindred spirits. The next time I see Burt, I may have to ask if Kurt had already mastered that same dry tone of voice by the time that he was eight.”

“At least you’d know then what you’re in for,” Tina joked.

“And I love it in both of them.” Blaine’s eyes searched the room until his gaze landed on Kurt, talking to one of Tina’s co-stars. “It keeps me on my toes and laughing.”


	14. Jukebox

“Cooper used to bring me to this place when he was a teenager.” Blaine pushed the door of the diner open. “I haven’t been here in- well, how old are you now, Julian?”

Julian rolled his eyes at Blaine as he and Kurt followed Blaine inside the fifties style diner and out of the snow. The trip to Ohio for Christmas was a tradition, but visiting Columbus never seemed as much fun as Lima. “I’m eight, Dad. Geez.”

“Let an old man reminisce,” Kurt drawled as he led them toward a table.

“Hey!” Blaine pretended to be affronted as he slid onto the vinyl booth seat. “Ooh! It looks like they still have pie.”

Julian just rolled his eyes taking a seat beside Kurt on the other side. “What kind of diner doesn’t have pie?”

“You’re the diner expert now, Jules?” Kurt asked with amusement as Blaine continued to look around the small restaurant.

“Well, if I owned a diner, we’d have lots of pie. And pancakes served at any time of the day,” Julian decided, grabbing a menu. “Could I have pancakes for dinner, Papa?”

“Look! They still have the same jukebox!” Blaine practically bounced out of the booth to go investigate. “I wonder if it still has Elvis on it.”

Julian shook his head with a sigh. “Dad’s going to sing along, isn’t he?”

“He lives only to embarrass you, Jules.” Kurt joked watching his son’s chagrined expression with an amused smile. “Hey, think of it this way. At least none of the kids from school are here to see it.”


	15. Grace

Blaine had known that something was wrong from the moment Julian has walked into his classroom after school. His son might insist that he was fine, but Blaine could read that tight look on his face. The grumbling noises while Julian made while he finished his homework and Blaine graded a stack of papers was enough to convince Blaine that Julian was stewing about something. Now it was just his job to convince his son to talk about it. That had been so much easier at Kindergarten than it was in 3rd grade. Blaine could only dread how hard it would be to get Julian to talk to him when the boy was upset by the time he got to high school.

Luckily, Blaine had an ace up his sleeve that was still practically guaranteed to work. As they packed up, he suggested a stop for coffee and a walk on the way home. Going through the drive through of their favorite coffee place had brought a smile to Julian’s face at least. Kurt was to blame for Julian’s ‘latte’ order, really just steamed milk and vanilla syrup with no espresso in sight.

There was nature park just a block away, and Blaine pulled up to the small lake. They left bags behind in the car, taking just their coffee cups with them as they wandered down the trail that circled it.

“So, what are you working on in school right now?” Blaine asked, starting with a question he thought Julian would easily answer.

“You know,” Julian pointed out. “You’re next door.”

“But not everything you do is exactly the same.” Blaine laughed. “You got me there, though. How is Ms. Williams?”

“Good. I like her. She’s funny.” Julian took a sip of his steamed milk. “We started reading _Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing_ today.”

“Ooh, that’s a great book. I hope you love it,” Blaine said honestly.

“Did you know there’s a kid in it named Fudge? I’m really glad you didn’t choose to call me Fudge.” Julian kicked a rock in front of him out along the path, staring after it for a moment before he sighed. Blaine tried not to lean in closer in anticipation of Julian really opening up. “Marcus isn’t coming to my birthday party.”

“Is he busy that day?” Blaine asked, wracking his brain to remember exactly who Marcus was. They’d invited all the boys in Julian’s class to his party, a compromise between not making someone feel left out and not having enough space in their backyard to invite twenty-five kids.

“No. He says his mom told him that he isn’t allowed to come to our house.” Julian kicked another rock angrily off the path, sending it flying all the way into the water with a splash. “Marcus said it’s ‘cause you and Papa are sinners.”

Blaine felt like the wind was knocked out of him for a moment at that. He’d thought that raising Julian in the suburbs of Los Angeles instead of back in Ohio where he and Kurt had grown up might let Julian escape hearing anything like that about his family, especially from another student in the same school Blaine taught at. “I’m sorry that his mom feels that way. It’s not a kind way to talk about someone, is it?”

“Is it true?” Julian asked, stopping in his tracks to stare at his father.

“What is sin?” Blaine asked in return.

“Hurting someone,” Julian answered, “like being mean.”

“That’s part of it. You know, Pastor Dan once said that sin is doing something that harms our relationships. So when we do something that hurts someone or hurts ourself or hurts our relationship to God.” Blaine chose his words carefully, wondering for a moment how Kurt would handle this conversation differently, not being religious. “I can’t see how my love for Papa could fall into any of that.”

“Then maybe Marcus’ mom is the sinner,” Julian grumbled, giving another rock a kick.

“Sometimes we all are.” Blaine shifted his coffee cup in his hands, picking at the cardboard sleeve on it as he chose his words. “Sometimes we just don’t know better or we’re angry or we just plain mess up. But God loves us no matter what, even when we screw up, right? God’s grace is always there for us, bigger than anything we could ever imagine.” Blaine hesitated. “Not everyone you meet is always going to agree with our family, Julian. Sometimes people don’t think that two men should be together or have kids. Maybe they’ve never really had the chance to get to know a family like ours or someone taught them that.”

Julian looked up to Blaine, considering those words seriously. “But I like our family.”

Blaine looped an arm around Julian’s shoulders, tugging him in for a quick hug. “I like our family, too. So we don’t have to worry about what other people might think, because we know our family is perfect just the way it is. Alright?”

Julian nodded before he said slyly, “Well, it might be better with a little brother. Or a dog.”

Blaine laughed, ruffling Julian’s hair affectionately. “Why don’t you try to convince Papa of that tonight?”


	16. Please

“What do you say?”

“Aw, come on Dad…”

“Are you torturing Jules again?” Kurt asked jokingly as he came down the stairs into the living room.

“You’d think so, but I’m really just trying to get him to be polite.” Blaine was sitting on the carpet in the middle of the room with Julian surrounded by mounds of different sized Lego pieces.

“Dad took the instruction book, but I don’t know what the next step is,” Julian whined.

“Well, I’d give it back if he just said please.” Blaine held the little booklet up above his head out of the boy’s reach.

Kurt leaned down to snatch it out of Blaine’s grasp, tossing it toward Julian. “Kids, both of you, I swear.” He looked around at all the small blocks that had comprised one of Julian’s Christmas presents. “Just make sure you get all of these picked up when you’re done. If you step on one, you’ll be saying something other than please.”


End file.
